Though we have been harvesting Norway’s coastal waters for centuries, little is known about the marine environment on the seabed. The discovery of several sizable coral reefs on the mid-Norwegian coastal shelf in recent decades has indicated big gaps in our knowledge of the seabed. A renewed focus on integrated management of Norwegian waters led to renewed calls for sea mapping, and in 2005 the Norwegian Government launched MAREANO (Marine AREA Database for Norwegian Coastal and Sea Areas).
MAREANO is a result of our desire to acquire more detailed knowledge of ecosystems, habitats and biodiversity on Norway’s territorial seabed through detailed mapping of depth, sediments, seabed fauna and pollutants. Results from the MAREANO program, including maps and illustrations, are published at www.mareano.no/english as they become available.
Part of a knowledge-based management system
MAREANO provides valuable scientific results for regulating human activities such as the oil and fisheries industries. Knowledge provides a better basis for decisions. Surveys and basic studies of the physical, biological and chemical environment of the seabed initially prioritised a number of environmentally sensitive areas in the Barents Sea and Lofoten. Plans for the exploitation of oil and gas reserves in Lofoten and the Barents Sea are being considered, and sustainable management of these areas is highly dependent upon neutral and reliable knowledge of the ecosystems.
MAREANO gives authorities, research bodies, the fisheries and petroleum industry and the general public direct access to research results and survey data via an online database. A key component of the website is a tool enabling the user to combine data from various sources to produce charts. The datasets may be utilised in a number of ways. Information on “vulnerable nature types” is important when planning how a sea area is to be exploited in the future.
MAREANO data can form the basis for monitoring biodiversity status and biological production associated with seabed areas. MAREANO can also enhance fishing efficiency and cost-effectiveness while reducing environmental impact by providing fishing vessels with valuable information on where to fish and which equipment to use. Potential conflicts arise when spawning grounds for fish coincide with areas of planned impactive activities. Here, too, MAREANO data can be utilised to identify crucial concerns in the planning phase of such activities.
Joint long-term effort
The MAREANO activities are conducted by the Institute of Marine Research in collaboration with the Geological Survey of Norway and the Norwegian Hydrographic Service. The programme is financed by the Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs, the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Trade and Industry. The MAREANO project initially focused on seabed conditions and marine resources in a 162,000 km2 area of the Barents Sea and the northern part of the Norwegian Sea. In 2011, MAREANO started mapping the Previously Disputed Area close to the Russian border.
In addition to the ongoing mapping of areas of the Barents Sea, the MAREANO programme has started mapping and data collation on valuable and vulnerable areas as identified in the management plan for the Norwegian Sea. The long-term objective for MAREANO is extensive baseline mapping and data collation covering all of Norway’s territorial seabed areas.
MAREANO-surveys in 2011 included finalizing mapping of the area of Nordland VI, and initiating mapping the recently acquired area in the Eastern Barents Sea, following the maritime delimitation agreement with Russia, ratified in July 2011.